iLAuNCH Trailblazer Initiative's Multi Metal 3D Printer to Boost Aerospace Manufacturing

iLAuNCH Trailblazer Initiative's Multi Metal 3D Printer to Boost Aerospace Manufacturing

The commissioning of a new multi metal 3D printer in Melbourne as part of the iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative is set to make space missions more affordable and efficient by creating lighter, faster and more robust aerospace components. The Nikon SLM-280 (Selective Laser Melting) at CSIRO’s Lab22 facility will print metals side-by-side in one continuous print. 

The technology is extremely well suited to aerospace and space where high performance and lightweight materials are the fundamental drivers of the designs, giving engineers the design freedom to consolidate parts to reduce mass and cost, ultimately making strategic weight decisions where needed.

“This capability is the first of its kind as a production machine in Australia, in fact, the southern hemisphere, and iLAuNCH is pleased to open up new manufacturing possibilities for locally made products,” said iLAuNCH Trailblazer Chief Technology Officer Dr Joni Sytsma. “Australian companies manufacturing satellites and rockets now have a real advantage to optimize their designs and improve performance, all made with a reduced lead time right here in Melbourne. We anticipate that the additional capabilities of this technology can also bring forth novel superalloys that are capable of maintaining ultra-high strength at the ultra-high temperatures that hypersonic vehicles need to survive, with a view to hypersonic air travel in the future.”

The manufacturing costs for these complex geometries are very high when limited to conventional manufacturing processes. In rocket engines for example, typically liquid oxygen and fuel flow through the engine at an extremely high pressure, which are then being injected into the combustion chamber. In particular, on the oxygen side, there needs to be significant protection of the metal surfaces against oxidative attacks of the metal. This multi-metal printer allows the oxidative-resistant layer to be manufactured in one go with the structural metal, speeding up production times and ultimately reducing the cost of the resultant structure. 

Although rocket engines themselves are typically high-performance heat exchangers, this technology is also applicable to heat exchangers used on aircraft and high-performance ground vehicles such as Formula 1 and other race cars. As low weight, high strength, and high heat exchanger efficiency is crucial in racing as well as aerospace and defense, this technology and its advanced manufacturing capability are going to enable the development of novel aerospace products that are of high value to the whole ecosystem.

“We welcome Australian researchers and industry to access this technology for ultra-high performance applications at CSIRO’s Lab22 Innovation Centre, one of Australia’s leading centers for metallic additive manufacturing, located at CSIRO in Clayton Victoria,” said CSIRO’s Senior Research Scientist, Dr Cherry Chen. “Other uses to consider include satellite structure and componentry, as well as developing novel radiation shielding with alloys that are in development in the various laboratories under the iLAuNCH Trailblazer.”

The multi metal version of the SLM-280 significantly enhances the standard model, which has already been proven internationally:

  • a monolithic thrust chamber for a rocket propulsion engine with a unique lattice structure with CellCore GmbH, an engineering firm from Berlin.
  • a hydraulic valve block with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, achieving 66% size reduction and 76% weight reduction.
  • a gooseneck bracket for reduced buy to fly ratio of 17 down to 1.5, and weight reduction of 31% with ASCO, a Belgian aerospace company.

This multi-material 3D printer is the only one of its kind in Australia, offering users a real advantage in additive manufacturing design.

“For decades, the technology used to bond dissimilar metals was predominantly Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) or the actual welding or brazing of two unique metals into one component,” said Nikon SLM Solutions, Global Director, Business Development for Aviation and Defense, Donald Godfrey. “Delivering Laser Powder Bed Fusion technology to generate a truly functionally graded material component to CSIRO marks the first time the technology has been taken out of Germany. This technology sets a new cornerstone in the aerospace and defense and space industry for what is possible.”

For iLAuNCH Trailblazer projects, SLM 280 technology will make potential space missions more affordable and efficient by creating lighter, faster and more robust space components. iLAuNCH is building sovereign capability and a research and development (R&D) ecosystem, essential for technology manufacturers in Australia to send their subsystems to space that will lead to better outcomes. 

Click here to learn more about iLAuNCH Trailblazer Core Commercialisation Projects.


Publisher: SatNow
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GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013